Adam Pankratz: David Eby’s addiction to giving away public land in secret

For governments, it is said that what ultimately brings you down isn’t the scandal, it’s the cover-up. Voters and the public can forgive a mistake, but the real killer is secrecy or the perception that the government is purposefully keeping information hidden when it is finally and inevitably revealed.

It is in this light that we must see Thursday’s revelation that B.C. Premier David Eby’s government is once again planning secret Crown land giveaways to First Nations with no public input or consultation. Documents obtained by the Northern Beat and veteran political reporter Rob Shaw expose a plan to hand over 400 parcels of public land to First Nations. They also show that two weeks prior to the calling of B.C.’s snap election, the government committed to changing the province’s Forest Act to limit how much forestry companies could be compensated for tenure loss.

The public was completely in the dark about this, and anyone who saw the documents had to sign non-disclosure agreements to keep the information quiet during the election. It is another outrageous abuse of power in dealing with public land by Eby’s government.

Whether you ultimately believe that this is sound policy or not is really beside the point; the salient matter is that in its First Nations land dealings, the only consistent pattern to emerge from Eby’s NDP government is one of deceit, cover-up and obfuscation.

The pattern on land deals is now well established. In 2024, Eby’s government was caught red-handed trying to secretly amend B.C.’s Land Act, which is the main piece of legislation governing the administration, use and disposition of Crown land in British Columbia. The secret proposed changes would have allowed the government to grant shared decision-making authority over B.C. public lands to the province’s First Nations. That is a profoundly undemocratic move and, when found out, Eby ultimately scrapped the Land Act amendments due to public pressure. He did not give up, however and then proceeded by much more surreptitious means.

In early 2025, a few months after B.C.’s 2024 general election, it came to light that prior to the election, the Eby government had agreed to a land transfer with the Shíshálh Nation. The deal, which transferred $104 million and six square kilometres of public land to the nation, was so secret that even the local NDP candidate Randene Neill was unaware of it. Neill would go on to become B.C.’s minister for water, land and resource stewardship, a role in which dealing with First Nations is of paramount importance.

Later in 2025, the Eby government reached a deal with the Haida which recognized Aboriginal title to the entirety of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. The only way the public found out about that deal was because the Haida announced it on their website. David Eby and his government never informed the public until forced to admit the deal was done and later blamed an internal communications error. Right.

The truth is that when it comes to any dealings with B.C. First Nations, the NDP government has proven over and over that it simply cannot be taken at its word. Given that it’s committed to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which aims to align provincial law with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), B.C. residents should be seriously concerned about what else the government is doing with public land. This land belongs to all British Columbians, but Eby clearly doesn’t see it that way.

Among the 46 articles of UNDRIP, certain ones are more impactful and worrisome than others. Article 26, for example, states that, “Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop and control the lands, territories and resources that they possess by reason of traditional ownership or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those which they have otherwise acquired.”

That is to say, if an Indigenous group claims a territory, they own it and all its resources. This is the driving mentality behind the most recent land giveaways, which strip B.C. forestry companies of their rights and limit government compensation for the rug pull.

Perhaps the saddest part of all this is that while the blame for the never-ending secrecy and obfuscation lies squarely with Eby and his government, some of the public anger will inevitably be directed at First Nations. The lack of transparency serves neither the public nor the First Nations whom Eby would tell you he’s acting in partnership with.

Last night at the B.C. election debate, Eby attacked Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson for his plan to repeal DRIPA if elected. The latest secret deal that has come to light makes it clear that if anything, Doerkson didn’t push the issue hard enough. British Columbians must wonder what else in their province is being signed away without their input or knowledge.

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